our happy ever after…
by pdsanonymous
Summary: From the moment of Seamus' shooting, how things could have played out differently. From Ste, Brendan & Cheryl's POVS -Story to be loosely based on an AU that was submitted to imaginestendan on tumblr. Also shout out to thequeenofcupsexpectsapicnic on tumblr for being my beta/proof reader for chapter 1. & Thanks for reading xo
1. Chapter 1

Brendan's words were still ringing in Ste's ears as he climbed the steps to the club that evening. Everything was starting to make sense, why Brendan had been so guarded, so ashamed, so violent when compared to his father—the man that had started abusing Brendan in the worst way when he was just a boy, no older than Leah was now. The thought made Ste shudder.

It wasn't until he reached that top of the outdoor steps that Ste could hear any activity from the inside over the sound of the rain. The year earlier, Cheryl had the whole club sound-proofed and re-insulated after noise complaints had come from the nearby flats. Now even on a busy Friday night, no more than a slight thumpa-thumpa could be heard coming from the front door of the club as punters streamed in and out of the club during peak hours. On nights like tonight, between the trickle of the rain and the rumble of thunder, you could hardly tell that a night club resided in the center of the otherwise seemingly sleepy town. But Chez Chez was the one place Ste wanted to be on this quiet night. It was the one place, besides the flat they now shared, where he knew Brendan would take shelter.

As he approached the door, he could hear distinctive Brady sobs. Sobs similar to those Ste had heard from the siblings on the day of Lynsey's death, the day that rattled them both to the core. This could only mean one thing, that Brendan had followed Ste's advice and told Cheryl everything. Well at least everything about Seamus, and the childhood she had candy coated in her memory. Ste's hand hovered over the door handle, trying to decide for himself if this would be an appropriate time to interject. He knew Brendan had to face this confession to Cheryl on his own, but he also wanted to be there to show his support. Worse yet, if Cheryl in the off chance didn't believe Brendan, Ste knew he had to be there to comfort Brendan in the rejection of the one person that had never let him down. He lingered there in the rain for what felt like an eternity before finally swinging the door open with confidence that he was making the right move.

And just like that reality shifted. Ste suddenly felt a chill run through his body, and it wasn't from his tracksuit that was now soaked from the rain. It was from the scene that lay before him, a puzzle his mind was yet to put together. Luckily his body acted faster than his mind could, and without missing a beat he slammed shut the door behind him and fastened the dead bolt. If there was one thing Ste could comprehend in this moment, it was that no one else could be allowed to interrupt this most private of family occasions.

* * *

"It's not going to be a secret for much longer Da." Brendan's voice trembled.

"Is that so?"

Without missing a beat Brendan was on the floor, a punch to the gut. Brendan was a grown man now, taller and stronger than Seamus, and should have been able to fight back take his father down. But the low blow had taken him off guard and left him vulnerable with Seamus hovering above.

"You know, I think you secretly liked it…yeah, that's why you never told anybody. That's why you never ran away. You loved the attention."

Did Seamus really think he enjoyed it? That Brendan had asked for and relished in the _attention_ he had received from his father all those years ago. It had made Brendan into a monster, a man that felt distant from his own children and a man that had hurt everyone he'd ever loved.

"Stay away, stay away from me" was all Brendan could muster as his father stepped closer. With each step, each memory of the abuse came rushing toward Brendan. He was suddenly the helpless 8 year old again—hearing his father's footsteps coming up the stairs, smelling the stale smoke on his skin, tensing at the malice in Seamus' voice, dreading what was on the horizon.

"You know you've been a bad boy."

"No I haven't." Brendan pleaded…with his dad, with God, with whoever would listen now, that had never listened before.

"And you know what happens for being a bad boy." Seamus laughed drily.

"No dad, please" please, please please, make this stop make this go away. Brendan readied his multiplication tables in his head, though no one would give him a gold star now. "Please Dad."

With Seamus' hands on his lapel, Brendan saw his eyes change. From the sinister gaze he remembered as a child, to that of confusion and fear. In an instant Seamus stopped dead in his tracks.

Literally—dead.

Seamus' body slumped to the floor as he took his last breaths. While Brendan struggled to comprehend how this had happened, relief washed over him. Had his prayer's finally been answered? Did God_ finally_ cut Brendan a break?

His eyes looked up to the source of a noise he now recognized as a gunshot. Someone had shot Seamus. Standing across from him, gun in hand, was…Cheryl?

* * *

After seeing the video on that flash drive, everything from Cheryl's childhood had been turned upside down. How could the father that showed her nothing but loving affection, been such a monster? How had he abused Brendan, his own son, for years without anyone knowing? Cheryl's head was a mess. It swirled with memories, as she looked back at the signs she should have noticed. Brendan's broken bones and how his sunny disposition would change the instant Seamus would walk into the room. She felt sick, remembering the vacation at their Nan's beach house, where Brendan had been having such fun before their Da had showed up.

Along with the memories, she had questions. So many questions that she needed answers to: When did it start? Did anyone know? Why hadn't Brendan told? Why hadn't it been her? Last she had spoken to Seamus; he was going to the pub to check up on his investment. She couldn't face the thought of seeing him just yet, so she headed to the club, the place she was sure Brendan would go to feel safe after the previous day's events.

As she was leaving the flat she remembered the gun she had found under the sofa. She had tucked it into the waist band of her pants hastily when the door bell rang. She now recognized it as the same gun in the video, Walker's gun. Before she could ponder it any longer, she was at the lower entrance of the club. As she entered she could just hear voices upstairs before hearing a thud. She inched up the stairs silently. She had been lied to enough in her life; she figured she deserved the truth even if it meant eavesdropping.

"You know, I think you secretly liked it…yeah, that's why you never told anybody. That's why you never ran away. You loved the attention." The disdain and cruelty of what her father was saying made her skin crawl, as the tears that had previously dried on her cheeks began to fall again.

"Stay away, stay away from me." She recognized the voice to be Brendan, but it seemed smaller and more childlike than ever before. She continued up the steps slowly, her body compelling her to face reality.

"You know you've been a bad boy." Seamus started removing his jacket as he neared Brendan. All of the confessions made in that video were being validated as true before her very eyes, and it was happening right here, right now. After years of being blinded by her father's charm, Cheryl could finally see him for what he really was.

"No I haven't." After years of not being able to protect Brendan, now was her chance. As she reached to top step, she remembered the gun at her hip.

"And you know what happens for being a bad boy." As Seamus grabbed hold of Brendan, Cheryl grasped the gun in both hands.

"No dad, please…please Dad." Cheryl made her next move before Seamus could make his. She pulled the trigger and shot her once beloved father

It was over, he had finally been stopped. Seamus dropped to the floor, his lifeless body next to Brendan's shrunken frame. Her momentary bravery washed away as Brendan's fearful eyes slowly met her. The slow tears that had started in silence now became quick uncontrollable sobs as reality came into focus.

Brendan wordlessly urged her to lower her gun, and she did so as he approached her cautiously. He removed the gun from her hands, gently pulling her into an embrace.

"It's okay, it's okay." Brendan repeated.

Cheryl knew it was meant to soothe, but there was no comfort here. She had just killed her own father, a man she had loved and respected a mere hour ago, to protect the brother she loved in equal measure. Brendan placed the gun gently on the sofa before turning her to sit on the steps below. As she sat, a door slammed shut. Startled they both turned to stare blankly at their new guest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Picking up from chapter 1, Ste walks into the club to join the little family reunion.

Warning: this chapter didn't get beta-ed because I changed it around so many times, but I didn't want to keep anyone waiting. Also, huge thank yous for everyone who read/reviewed Chapter 1! Positive feedback is super cool &amp; I hope I don't disappoint.

xo pdsanonymous

* * *

The sound of the door slamming shut had made both the siblings look up; Brendan, looking rattled, barley together and Cheryl, with tears streaming down her face. Cheryl was seated at the top of the stairs to Ste's left, with Brendan standing in front of her, arms around her shoulders. This wasn't the sight that concerned Ste though, because as he turned his gaze to the right the whole world came crashing down. A gun placed on the arm of the sofa, a bar stool on its side toward the center of the bar, and to the right the man Ste had grown to hate, Seamus Brady, laid dead.

Ste couldn't help but to look back to Brendan, wide eyed and questioning. Ste couldn't bring himself to speak for a moment, unable to process what he was seeing, what had happened, how it had happened. He had more questions than he knew what to do with, but seeing Brendan's face made him realize now was not the time. While Brendan's face was dry, he looked fragile, shaken and drained; like he had given Cheryl all the strength he could muster. With Brendan's strength and confidence gone, Ste knew he had to fill its place. Rather than stopping to question, to comfort, to fall apart, Ste focused on the more pressing matter of keeping this between them.

"We need to lock the other doors, right…" his voice came out weaker than intended, clearing his throat, he continued, "Brendan? Can you do that for me? Can you lock up the downstairs?"

"Yeah, yeah I can do that…" Brendan twitched noticeably, as if to shake off whatever had just gone down. "But Chez?" he asked.

"I got her, go." Ste replied.

Brendan glanced at Cheryl for confirmation, and she nodded. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before bounding down the stairs to lock up. Cheryl tried to control her sobbing as Ste walked over to her. He wasn't sure what had happened, but Cheryl looked destroyed. Had she walked into this, like Ste had, her father dead on the floor? Or had she been here to see her father die before her eyes? Whatever the circumstances, she needed consoling. Ste sat beside her and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair while quietly shushing her. Despite his damp clothes, he could feel her warm tears create a puddle on his shoulder. Ste only opened his eyes as he heard Brendan coming back up the stairs.

"All locked up…Steven, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." Brendan warned. There was a coldness to his voice that Ste had recognized from their past encounters. But this time, Ste wouldn't let himself be pushed away. After today, they were supposed to get their happy ever after.

"I was here to check on you. What happened Brendan?" Ste heard his own voice start to shake, as he felt Cheryl pull away from their embrace.

Wiping away her tears, Cheryl whispered, "I killed him." Ste thought he misheard.

"It was an accident…you understand what I'm saying it was an accident." Brendan kept his eyes on his sister.

"He's lying there, he's dead." As Cheryl said this, Brendan silently moved past them on the steps and crossed the bar to where the body was lying. Before giving the body a long, cold stare, Brendan covered the body with Seamus' own jacket. When he turned back towards the steps, both Cheryl and Ste were standing to meet his gaze.

"I know Bren…I know what he did to you." With Cheryl's words, Brendan glared at Ste for a moment before turning back to Cheryl.

"What are you talking about?" Brendan tensed, before pointing at Ste. "What's he been telling you?"

"I didn't say anything Brendan! I wouldn't." Ste couldn't hide his disgust at the thought. It wasn't his place to reveal Brendan's secret life of abuse, despite the burden Ste felt carrying it. If this is what it felt like to keep that horror in for less than 24 hours, he understood how messed up Brendan had become carrying it around for closer to 24 _years_.

"The gun, I found the gun in the flat." Cheryl interrupted them before the argument could continue. "And then I got this delivery and it was this thing, it was a USB. And I watched it… and it was you and Daddy in the house…with Walker from the other night."

"Walker." Brendan huffed. "I wanted to tell you Chez. I swear I wanted to tell you..."

"And then I started running. I ran as fast as I could to come and get you. And then…and then I saw what he was doing to you and the guns in my hand and…I killed him."

Ste felt his heart drop. 'What he was doing to you,' what did Cheryl mean by that. Brendan had told Ste about the abuse of his childhood and adolescence, but Ste had assumed it was all in the past. Whatever it was, it had been enough to push Cheryl to kill her own father.

"What was he doing to you Brendan…today I mean…?" All Ste wanted to do was comfort Brendan, to pull him into his arms and never let go, but not now. Brendan was on edge, trying to block out whatever had happened here before the shooting, dismissing him.

"Nothing Steven—it was nothing."

Ste looked at Cheryl and Brendan both, trying to find an answer, but they both looked at the ground. Clearly, Ste wasn't going to hear much else about what had happened before Cheryl shot Seamus, but now that she had, only one question lingered.

"Well what do we do now?"

* * *

Walker, Walker, Walker. The sneaky bastard had spoken about a parting gift, but this was a doozey. If he hadn't been dead already, Brendan would be seeking him out now. He ran his hands through his hair as he thought of a response to Steven's 'what now.' What now, was that Walker had won; he had torn their lives apart alright.

Rather than speaking, Brendan just pointed at the steps behinds Chez and Steven. He couldn't do this here, couldn't talk about what they were going to do with that monster's body while the memory of what almost happened was still in his mind, happening in the same place he stood now. Before waiting for any kind of response, he brushed passed them both and headed down the steps.

When they caught up to him, Brendan was already behind the bar downing a glass of whiskey. He poured another before offering the bottle to the others, which they denied. Chez and Steven both took a seat, but Brendan couldn't be stilled long enough to sit, so he remained standing.

"I need to call the police," Cheryl said, breaking the silence. "Tell them what I did."

"No…you do that and you get locked up for life." Steven interrupted.

"You're not going to prison. You're not going to get your whole life taken away, not like this. Not today. I can fix this."

"I killed him Bren."

"No you didn't. I did." Brendan spoke the words before he could even think of their implications. He could feel the heat from Steven's stare, but wouldn't meet his eyes, looking only at his sister. "You know what unconditional love is Chez? Unconditional love is standing in front of somebody and taking a bullet for them. Taking the heat. I'm taking that bullet for you." He slugged back another drink before daring to glance at Steven, who had started to cry.

"No, you didn't Brendan. You're not going to take the fall for this. You did nothing wrong. Cheryl? …Cheryl! You can't let him do this." Steven pleaded with Cheryl, but she remained silent at the end of the bar. Steven looked back at Brendan, tears now rolling freely. "How can you do this to someone who loves you as much as me?"

"It's non-negotiable Steven. She's my baby sister," his strength was beginning to fade as he looked into Steven's eyes, his own starting to well up. "Besides, I should have been locked up a long time ago for all the things that I've done."

"And do you think I can live with myself knowing what _I've_ done?" Cheryl sniffled.

"What you've done, is stop any other kid going through what I went through by his hands! What you've done, is make this world a better place!" his tears turned to anger. How could she feel guilty? How could she not see the good in what she had just done?

"I'm not going to let you die in prison for something I've done! No way."

"I'm not doing to die in prison." Brendan took a breath. "It's not going to happen."

"You can't protect her forever Brendan!" Ste shouted through his sobs.

"Yes I can! Yes I can! I can't let him win okay! Because of what he did to me as a kid, we've landed here. We were so close weren't we, all three of us. We finally got it right and then what happened? He turned up and started tearing everything apart…." Brendan fought back the tears and swallowed before continuing, "Walker's dead. Dad is dead. And what are they doing? Laughing from the grave." Brendan twirled his empty glass on the bar top, knowing that they had won. There was no getting out of this situation unscathed. He reached for the whiskey bottle and poured another round, this time with a glass for each of them.

"If you do this Brendan, they'll both have gotten what they wanted. You can't let them tear us apart. Nobody's going to take our lives away from us—any of us." Steven did his best to gain control over his tears as he reached out. Brendan thought he had been going to the glass, but he instead grabbed hold of both Brendan and Cheryl's hands. Feeling Steven's touch made it worse, knowing this could be the first and last chance he had at properly holding the boy's hand. He held it tightly, as Steven attempted a slight smile up to him, before speaking again.

"Cheryl deserves to live her life, and so do you Brendan—and so do I! And I ain't living my life without you. Not after everything we've been through. I didn't even know who I was until I met you." Brendan raised his free hand to Steven's face to wipe away the tears. He hated seeing Steven in pain, especially since Brendan himself had caused so much of it in the past, and today.

After a beat Chez spoke up, her voice hushed and uneven.

"Bren? When we were visiting Nan, and I saw you in that warehouse…" Brendan blood turned cold at the memory of his sister finding him covered in another man's blood chopping his body into bits; Joel's step-dad, another parasite that deserved to die. "Could you…could you do that again, but with daddy? Just make it go away."

Brendan's mind began racing, as he tried to think. Could he? Could he make this all _disappear_?

* * *

On her way to the supply closet, Cheryl stopped in the washroom to wash her hands, scrubbing away gun residue as Brendan had instructed. As she then gathered the cleaning supplies, Brendan and Ste pulled up the area rug from the office. Not in her most bizarre nightmares, did Cheryl ever think she'd be involved in body disposal; especially that of her daddy, who she had held on a pedestal all her life. The pedestal crumbled before her eyes when she watched that video and heard her father's words before Brendan. In some respects she was grateful to Walker, for exposing her father as the monster he was.

Cheryl busied herself with finding a set of yellow rubber cleaning gloves for each of them, before pulling on her own. She handed a set to her brother and to Ste as they placed the rug onto the floor. She found some rags along with a scrub brush and a bottle of bleach for herself, as she waited for the boys to move the body.

As they unfurled the rug, she heard Ste ask Brendan in a whisper, "Is this what you and Warren did with Danny?"

"Danny? Danny Houston? Did you kill him Bren?"

Brendan simply nodded, while Ste looked guilty for letting that one slip.

"I know they tried to charge you with it, but I didn't think they'd had enough evidence." Cheryl knew her brother was no angel, but his body count just went up by one.

"Exactly. No evidence means I cleaned up. Just rather I'd be doing it alone." Brendan huffed, as he moved their dad's body onto the rug, swatting off Ste as he tried to help.

"You need our help Brendan! You can't do all this on your own." Ste interjected with hands on hips.

"You shouldn't be left to clean up my mess." Cheryl moved over to where her father's body had just been. The concrete was still warm, as she cleaned the surprisingly small amount of blood from the floor. She began to cry as she did so, before Brendan's hand stilled her actions.

"He created this mess, not you Chez."

"You still need to let us help you, Brendan. We're all in this now…" Ste paused to crouch down to Brendan's eye level, "For better or for worse." Cheryl noticed the way Brendan looked fondly at Ste over the sentiment.

"So damn stubborn aren't ye Steven? Fine, do us a favor and grab a bin bag. Gotta get rid of these rags and anything that could trace him back here."

"Okay, I can do that. I'm gonna look around the bar and downstairs too, make sure he didn't leave anything behind." Ste stood and paused for a second, looking over the siblings before moving to the lower level of the bar to start on his mission. Cheryl could tell the task was meant to distract Ste, keep him occupied and away from the worst of it; that Brendan was trying to protect them both as much as he still could.

Cheryl shifted her focus back the stained flooring, scrubbing away the bloody stain left behind, but not the remorse. Without looking up, she muttered, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"You got nothing to be sorry for."

"For not seeing, not seeing what he was doing to you…Why didn't I see it?" It was all she could think about after watching the USB. How did she not know? Was there some sign of abuse that Walker had seen in Brendan, and taken advantage of, that she hadn't seen?

"I didn't want you to see it." Brendan replied, his eyes avoiding hers.

"I'm your sister, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I love ye. If I told you, everything you believed in, everything you cared for would just…just come crashing down. I couldn't do that to my baby sister." Brendan looked at her then, with all the love and affection he had ever shown her.

"When…Was I there, was I in the house?" Brendan remained silent. "I was wasn't I?"

"No, not all the time."

"I was in the next bedroom to you."

"Please, don't do this. Please." Brendan stood then, distracting himself with the act of rolling up the carpet around their father's corpse.

"I was jealous, could you believe that?" Cheryl knew Brendan was avoiding this conversation, but it was something he needed to hear. "I was jealous. I used to see him playing with you…I wanted to be you so badly. I wanted to be daddy's favorite."

"If he was with me, it meant he wasn't with you. It's why I didn't run away."

Before Cheryl could ask another question, Ste returned up the stairs, bin bag in one hand and Seamus' notebook in the other. It wasn't the exact same, but similar to one Cheryl remembered him having when she was a child. He had used it for his betting and book keeping, and had kept a photo of Cheryl and Brendan tucked in the corner; a picture taken on her birthday, the birthday party where Brendan hadn't been allowed cake. She now remembered when Brendan had told her he had gotten cake after all, when their daddy had brought him a big slice up after everyone else went to bed. The price of that cake, and the photo that he had kept to remind him made Cheryl shiver.

"Can't forget these!" Ste moved to toss the notebook into the bag, but Cheryl stopped him, reaching for the notebook and searching through its pages. "What are you doing Cheryl?"

She ignored Ste's question and her brother's inquisitive glare as she turned the book upside down to rattle out anything that might have been held inside. Sure enough, a small grainy photo appeared. Cheryl took a moment to reflect on the childhood they had both lost before ripping it up and throwing it into the bag. She then proceeded to rip out all of the pages of the book, along with the deed to the pub that was stashed inside; it was no use to anyone now.

Brendan held out the bag for her, as she threw away the last remainders of their father's 'business' dealings. Cheryl then returned to the floor to continue scrubbing the same spot as before. From the corner of her eye, she watched as Brendan and Ste grabbed the bloody rags to throw in the bin, along with their dad's other personal affects, like his shoes and cell phone that Brendan had removed the memory card from. She would have to repeat this process when she got home; to rid her home of the reminders of him, of all his belongings and the pictures that held nothing but secrets and lies. Brendan walked over to where she was now scrubbing feverishly and lifted her to her feet.

"I think that spot's cleaner than the rest." Brendan tried to joke, while holding her by her elbows. Looking down, she saw that it was true. The floor left no trace of any blood at all. Cheryl tossed the scrub brush into the bin bag that Ste was no holding open, and stopped to look at the ring on her finger while removing her gloves. Brendan had given her future back to her, a chance to start over, to live with Nate and be happy. Nate, a wonderful man that offered her a future she had only dreamed of; one that seemed uncertain after she had pulled the trigger on her on father.

"We're all ready. Chez, I need you to focus here." Brendan's voice brought her wandering mind back to the present. There was still so much to do. "I need you to go."

"What about you? You and Ste? I'm not going to leave you here. "

"Me and Steven, we got this." Brendan attempted a half-smile. "Go home, throw these clothes in the laundry, and get in the shower and scrub. Make sure you ain't got any residue left to find on ye. Change into some clean clothes. Catch up with Nathaniel yeah? Make sure he knows where you were all night…you were together right? He loves you, just tell him you were together all day and night, and he'll say the same."

"What are you going to do with…what are you going to do with him?"

"The less you know from here on out the better Chez."

"But you and Ste?" Cheryl knew she would lose the argument, but she couldn't help but to feel overwhelming gratitude as she looked between her brother and Ste, who had remained silent. Risking everything they had built and worked for, for her. It wasn't fair none of it was fair. As if reading her mind, Ste pulled her into a warm and gentle hug.

"Don't worry. We got this." Ste tried to joke, but Cheryl could feel him trembling ever so slightly as he pulled away, eyes filled with tears that were willing to fall.

"I love you." She reached out to her brother, and they stood there holding each other, neither wanting to be the first to break contact. It was an apology, an understanding, a thank-you, a lifetime of caring shared between them wrapped up in an embrace.

"I love you…now go… do what I told you." Brendan slowly pulled away and Cheryl nodded an understanding. She left quietly down the back steps, and crept over to the flat unnoticed, where Nate was already asleep on the couch. She was grateful she could put that conversation off until the morning. She busied herself following Brendan's advice, tossing her clothes in the wash on hot, scrubbing herself raw in the shower, changing into fresh clothes before putting the wet clothes in the dryer. She tucked herself into bed, emotionally and physically exhausted, but couldn't find sleep.

She couldn't shake the feeling that the hug they shared was goodbye.


	3. Chapter 3

In the past few days, Ste's entire life had been put through the spin cycle. Brendan had hit him again for the first time in ages—opening old wounds and creating new ones. And before Ste could even process that, Walker turned up and nearly killed him and Cheryl. It wasn't until Brendan pushed Simon Walker in front of a train that Ste could begin feeling like his family was truly safe. But even then, Brendan had more secrets to reveal. Just this morning Ste had learned the horrible truth about Seamus. And now here he was, dead in the middle of the dance floor, wrapped up in a damned area rug.

The blood was on Cheryl's hands, but Ste couldn't blame her. He would have done the same if it meant protecting Brendan from whatever had happened here tonight. He wasn't sure when murder became stomach-able, but it was somewhere around the time Brendan Brady had walked into his life, making him fall in love with him.

Ste's only wish was that he had been there. To tell Seamus how disgusting he was, to tell him that he was neither man nor father. Neither could have done to Brendan what that _thing_ did. Ste looked down to the rolled area rug, and took a deep shaky breath. After today, Seamus Brady wasn't doing to take away one more thing from this family—from Ste's family. As he heard Cheryl leave out the lower level and lock the door behind her, he looked towards Brendan's fiddling with the cross around his neck, dazed.

"Brendan—" was all Ste could get out before Brendan rushed to him, holding him in his arms tightly. Feeling the warmth of Brendan's body and his lips his hair, Ste felt safe. He clung to the taller man's back, and whispered, "What are we gonna do Bren?"

"_We're_ not going to do anything Steven…Me... I gotta do this alone." Ste felt Brendan try to pull away, but Ste clung closer.

"No! We've been through this already. We're in this together, no matter what." Ste moved away just enough to hold Brendan's face, to make him see him. "Look at me! Look at me. Brendan, we have been though it all together. If we can survive all of that, we can survive this yeah? I love you and you love me right! Just you and me, that's all that matters." Ste laced his fingers around Brendan's neck and pulled him down until their foreheads met. They stayed like this, eyes closed, breathing the same breath, for what felt like an eternity before he felt a soft kiss land on his lips.

"Okay." It was all Brendan said before gently pulling himself from Ste's hold. He missed the contact, but Ste knew that time wasn't on their side. He had entered the club a few hours ago, and this wasn't exactly something you could put off until morning.

Ste braced himself for whatever was next. Because whatever it was, they were in this together, til the end.

* * *

The plan was flimsy, at best. Load up the car and leave. Get as far away from Hollyoaks as possible. The rest wasn't so clear, but they would make it work, him and Steven. Brendan's car had already been parked at the back of the club earlier that day, so all they had to do was lug what was left of Seamus Brady into the boot. The problem was that the fat bastard wouldn't fit. In his old car, bodies had fit easily into the trunk, but with Seamus' height and the added girth of the rug, it wouldn't work. Of course Seamus would find a way to give Brendan trouble, even in death.

He nodded a grunt to Steven to open the back door of the car. For what this car lacked in trunk capacity, it made up for in back seat leg room. A feature he and Steven had developed a liking to during brief exchanges on long car rides. Those memories were now tarnished, as he pushed the rug onto the back seat, hoping beyond hope it wouldn't unravel. Brendan shut the door firmly before turning back to Steven, who was busy looking around nervously for the umpteenth time.

"No one's out this time of night, Steven."

"I know. Just never done this, have I?" they were both quite a moment. He was right. Steven was the innocent one in all of this, didn't need to be exposed to more ugly that only Brendan had brought into his life. Steven didn't deserve to be dragged down with him.

"Steven—"

"Stop it. Just 'cus I've never done it, don't mean I'm not willing to do it now…hadn't done a lot of things before I met you, had I." Even in the darkness of the alleyway, Brendan could see the flush in Steven's cheeks. Leave it to him to crack a sex joke at a time like this. Brendan couldn't stop the grin from forming on his face, but he needed to focus.

"Yeah, well body disposal 101, don't leave it sitting in your car so obviously." Brendan pointed to the rug obnoxiously crammed into the back seat.

"Well we can put some other things there, right? Push 'em off the seat, add some boxes there, look like we're properly remodeling or something?"

"Yeah, yeah." Brendan moved back into the club grabbing the crates closest to the door, while Steven attempted to push the rug containing Seamus onto the floor of the backseat.

"Need some help there Steven?" Brendan placed the crates on the ground, before helping Steven. With the actual seat freed up, they filled the space with random crates of cheap booze and old filing boxes that had been abandoned in the back corners of the lower level. Once the backseat was piled high, you hardly noticed the rug. It just looked like they had cleaned out a storage room rather than stuffed a body into the backseat. Steven was right.

Brendan closed the rear door forcefully, before hopping into the driver's side and starting up the car. In the brief moment, as Steven locked the door to the club behind them, Brendan pondered his fate. If he knew any better, he'd drive off leaving Steven in the dust to find a better life. A life without him, a life he deserved; one with his kids and his business and with a nice man that was good for him, like Douglas. A knocking on the car window snapped him back to reality. Brendan unrolled the window opposite him.

"Looking for some company tonight stranger?" the cheeky git was leaning on the half opened window, ass towards the air and his tongue between his teeth. Brendan chuckled.

"What am I going to do with you Steven Hay?" Brendan hesitated, with Steven still waiting at the passenger side door.

He _should_ roll up the window. He _should_ drive away. He _should_ let Steven go.

He watched the smile fade from Steven's face.

"Come on Brendan, let me in."

He unlocked the door.


	4. Chapter 4

_To anyone who was reading this story, hoping for an update, I'm sorry! Its crazy how once you stop writing, it's so hard to start back up. But I read through some old ideas I have for fics, and realized it wouldn't be right for me to write something new without finishing this! I wrote this in a single night, at the wee hours of the morning, so I apologize if it's awful._

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Cheryl awoke in the morning with a pit in her stomach. The events from the night before had left her sleep restless. Crawling out of bed, she reached for her phone on the dresser that she had discarded before heading to the club; no new notifications besides a few missed calls from Nate the night before. She knew she had to make things right with him. He had been right about everything, about Brendan and her father. She shuddered at the thought as she descended the stairs looking for Nate.

Nate was busy in the kitchen making breakfast when Cheryl snuck behind him, sitting at the dining table. Hearing the chair pull out behind him, he spoke up.

"Cheryl, hoping that's you beautiful. Did you have a good bon voyage night out with the girls and Ste? I've made us a going away breakfast with what was left in the pantry." Nate turned with two coffees in his hands, before seeing Cheryl's crestfallen face. "Are you alright darling? Got a bit of a hangover there? You didn't get back til late, I tried to stay up."

Cheryl accepted the coffee Nate offered, "Bit, ta." Cheryl's eyes stayed lowered, unable to meet Nate's worried glance. Luckily, he turned back to the kitchen and continued making breakfast.

"I hope you're not having second thoughts about the move. Everything's packed and ready to go. Is your dad going to be staying in this flat or is he going to be getting his own place? I know Brendan's been staying with Ste, but I want to leave some things for Seamus if he plans on staying here." Nate took Cheryl's continued silence for uncertainty, so he kept rambling. "I know you still feel bad about leaving your dad and Brendan, but they'll have each other. Your dad isn't the easiest man to get along with, but I know you love him, and he and Brendan will have to get over whatever it is between them—"

"Stop! Please Nate, just stop." Cheryl interrupted. "You were right."

"What? Cheryl how do you mean?" Nate came over to the table wiping his hands on the tea towel that hung on his shoulder.

"You were right about my Da, and about Brendan." She paused to take a sip from the mug she held with both hands, hoping to steady their shaking. "So, what are you making me in there? A royal that can cook, ey. I must have hit the jackpot." Cheryl feigned a smile.

"Cheryl, stop, don't worry about breakfast. What are you talking about?" Nate asked as he took a seat across the table from her. He reached for her hands, but she pulled them back. "Is this about what happened at the engagement party? I told you, I must have misunderstood what Brendan was saying, I'm sure he didn't mean—"

"No." Cheryl cut him off again. "No, he did mean it. You were right. My da, that monster took away my sweet wee brother's innocence. How could I not see it? How could I not see what my dad was doing to him?" Cheryl began to breakdown as tears streamed down her face. "Say something, please."

"You didn't see because you loved your dad, and because you're sweet, and kind." Nate found her eyes then, and attempted to wipe away the tears that fell. "How did you find all this out Cheryl? Did Brendan tell you?"

It was then that Cheryl realized she had said far too much, Brendan had told her to just pretend everything was fine and get back to her life. But how could everything be fine when her whole world had just been turned on its axis? How could she move on and start a life with Nate if she didn't tell him the truth? She stifled her tears and breathed out.

"It doesn't matter, yeah. What matters now, is that we leave this horrible place and that horrible man behind."

"But what about Brendan, we should go see him, talk to him, make sure he's okay now that this is out in the open. Have you spoken to him, or your dad?"

"Please Nate, Brendan's got Ste. And my dad is going to burn in hell for what he's done," her sobs began again as she cleared her eyes with her sleeves. "I just need to go, move on. Brendan was right, if we go on to start a family, I don't even wish them to know his name. Please, I don't want to talk about this ugliness anymore. This is our chance, please Nate."

"Yeah, absolutely Cheryl, whatever you want."

"What I want, it to eat that breakfast you've prepared, and then get the hell out of this god forsaken village." She tried a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Nate swallowed his thoughts and smiled back. If this is what Cheryl wanted, this is what he was going to do for her. They ate breakfast in forced conversation about the drive ahead of them, and about the work they'd probably have to do at the manor, as it had been vacant some time. Cheryl mostly just pushed the food around her plate, but managed to get a few bites down as Nate continued his watchful stare. As he cleaned up the plates and cookery, Cheryl got the last of her things together, including the washings from the dryer that she immediately threw into a large black trash bag.

"I thought you loved that outfit." Cheryl nearly jumped out of her skin as Nate joined her in the laundry room.

"Jesus Nate!"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Why are you so jumpy, is it this business with your dad?"

"No, stop. I don't want to talk about him anymore," there was a noticeable frustration in her voice before she composed herself. "This jumper is just tacky. Not posh enough for 'the manor' as you called it." This time her smile was genuine, she really was excited to be starting fresh after all the turmoil and pain over that last few hours and days.

"Ah, yes. The lady of the manor must have a sophisticated wardrobe, better than all the other ladies of the land." Nate put on his posh-est voice before hugging behind Cheryl and kissing at the nape of her neck, and whispering, "Not the pants though. They make your bum look divine, and besides, you know what they say. Lady in the streets, freak in the sheets."

"Nathan!" Cheryl giggled and gave him a loving nudge in the side before taking the pants out of the bag. "Well you are right about my bum, though it looks good in just about anything. Anyway, this is the last of the packing and we are ready to go!"

"Don't you want to stop off in the village to say goodbye to folks?"

"Nope, anyone I wanted to say goodbye to I already have. I am ready to get out of here."

It was a long journey ahead of them, but they figured driving was best, as Nathan had driven his red convertible over to Chester to begin with. Before leaving, they had sent most of Cheryl's belongings through the post, so that they would be there in a few days. All they had needed were a last few items and some clothes to change into after the long ferry ride.

Cheryl was excited to be leaving, but she still wasn't certain of what was happening with Brendan and Ste. When she and Nate had left the flat, the club still appeared closed, and only Doug and Leanne were working in the deli. She gave a slight wave through the window, before tying a scarf on her head and getting into the passenger seat. She still hadn't heard off Brendan, but she assumed he would take care of things as she had seen him do so in the past. The thought sent chills through her spine, but she knew it was all to protect her and the ones he loves. She understood Brendan's motives now more than ever.

While the drive out of the village was uneventful, the pair hit standstill traffic within about forty minutes of being on the A55. Cheryl was anxious about missing their ferry and noticing the emergency vehicles, she forced Nate to pull over. Being curious she shouted out to an officer close by.

"Eh, what's happened here? We're trying to catch the ferry, and we'll miss it if we're stuck in this traffic."

"Nothing to be concerned here ma'am. There was a single car collision, but we should have the road cleared shortly." Cheryl nodded, while looking over past the officer into the slightly wooded area roadside.

The remnants of a car were smashed into a tree, with the whole interior burnt out. Cheryl didn't think much of it, until she noticed crews working around the scene pull a burnt piece of tapestry from the boot. It was the same color and pattern as the material that had once adorned the floor of the office of Chez Chez. As Nate pulled back onto the road, Cheryl reached for her phone while holding her breath. She tried to ring Brendan and Ste both but got no answer. Nate looked to her curiously, as expletives left her mouth one after another.

"Jeeze Cheryl, calm down. Who are you trying to call?"

She stumbled to answer. She didn't want to lie to Nathan, but revealing even a bit of her concern would reveal a reality she wasn't prepared for.

"Just the ferry company, I wanted to confirm the times of departure but no one's bloody answering."

"It's no worry. If we miss it, we can stop for dinner and make the next, yeah? I know you're ready to jog on, but we'll get there. I promise."

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_Well there it is! Sorry for the bit of a cliff-hanger, but I will complete this story (and I won't wait 6 months this time :x promise). _


End file.
